Sarah Sidders Designs

This is the blog of designer-maker Sarah Sidders who specialises in children's clothing that is handmade with an ethical conscience using organic fair-trade fabric, renewable energy and we're aiming to be producing zero-waste.
Sarah is also a performance artist and textile artist.

Friday, 1 February 2013

All girls t shirts are now fully listed online for the first time ready for:

Friday, 18 January 2013

As privileged as I was to travel 8000 miles south to the 'last wilderness' as an artist, before the British Antarctic Survey started its artist-in-residency scheme, its taken me many years to fully digest the unique experience.

Being part of an expedition that in one sense completely failed in its aim for science-work, gathering data and in the duration of time spent on the island of South Georgia. We were up against an insurmountable logistical challenge, that made us all too aware of the isolation of our intended destination.Yet personally as an artist, I was able bring home this grainy image of 'The Ice Dress'.

This performance piece
is concerned with this juxtaposition between the wilderness and
mankind: as creatures we belong, but as 'nerve-shaken, over-civilised
people'(John Muir), we do not.

When I joined the team I was then challenged to persuade my fellow team members – all scientists – that 20 kilos of fabric
was a worthy freight investment! I furthermore was met with an argument, that took me by surprise, to justify my presence with the view point of the experience from a creative, artistic, window.My roll was then moulded to embrace the holistic, emotional and aesthetic against the backdrop of the debate; art verses science. Art, for me, has always been a language that can encapsulate all experiences, debates and genres.As artists we can breathe a sigh of relief and relish in the thought-evoking priviledge that we don't have to compartmentalise.

Monday, 14 January 2013

Is our population split in half into those who agree in climate change and those who do not.Or do the majority agree but eyes aren't opened and we're just too busy to change our ways...

My husband was someone who was just too busy, and now we have solar panels on our roof and a gas bill that has halved, bikes, we travelled from Sao Paulo to Santiago by bus and now its more part of our day-to-day. But how can more of it become part of our day-to-day and what next is the big thing that we can do to reduce our carbon footprint.

In the last 5 years we've had three children, I only ever really wanting two for ecological reasons but then we were blessed with twins! So our car grew, our toy consumption has grown and there is the challenge of reducing food waste with a very fussy eater! Their impact on our home has aged furniture, carpets and walls at a phenomenal rate and trying to encourage a small child to cut something out the edge of a piece of paper seems almost impossible, and I find myself ranting about unnecessary waste. How do you avoid the cheap plastic 'stuff' and toys that last no more than a day. How can we afford the more expensive that can be handed on or will last ten years or more, or have the time to buy second hand.

And I wonder why our precious resources are used to pay for plastic windows that are only designed to last for ten years yet those same resources could be used to make windows that would last for 50 years. Do we need to pull in resources to subsidise resources that must me used with a higher moral and ethical purpose.Yet our capitalist society means that we must have choice and we can still pull out the trump card that global warming is a myth, and for as long as the American Republican movement has a voice funded by oil the rest of world seems to remain in denial or apathy. So soon may the day come when Nature and its resources can support our economies, we won't recklessly purchase quick hit/fix cheap ephemeral stuff that doesn't last, we'll all be able to afford it! Will that day come too late?Tony Juniper seems to be a great optimist, so lets open our ears and see what he has to say...

My passion for the natural landscape combined with being a Mum has led me to set up a business that makes, by hand, children's clothing with an environemental conscience using organic-fairtrade farbic, using 100% renewable energy and aiming to be producing zero-waste.http://www.bbc.co.uk/programmes/b01ptbwtSarahSidders.co.uk

Saturday, 12 January 2013

As important as it is to encourage nature into our gardens, to enrich its flora and fauna: is it to give yourself space to think, to allow an evolving of thoughts to enhance your imagination and creativity.As a Mum of three under 5 all born within 2 1/2 years of each other I am striving for no noise, no activity, for that 'peace and quiet' that my Mum always asked for at birthdays!

In the wonderful busy-ness of family life I feel myself craving that space for imagination, creative thought, lateral thinking. That behind its closed door of restricted time, lack of calmness and a non-reflective thought environment is a yearning for it to be given a moment of freedom. That today almost came to a point of inner implosion in a longing to gather thoughts and take a little

Not to say that being a Mum does not involve creativity and imagination, it is the time of peace that I feels to be so lacking. As I plan to grow my little garden-office business, or consider a project: domestic, creative or entrepreneurial I need to plan time to think, to be still, prayerful, to delve into the inner-self.

It wasn't until we have become so busy as parents to you realise the importance and the privilege for finding time for a task labelled with such wishy-washy terms. For now gone have the snippets of time that you might once have taken to day-dream, gather thoughts and allow creative thought a little time to brew. Like driving or walking to places, having a coffee, a bath, cooking etc.

Everyday with my little three I try to encourage activities that will allow imagination to grow and evolve such as avoiding the TV, role play, craft, non-prescriptive toys, manual hand games and toys do I forget that those thought-type activities are as equally important to us as adults for the very same purpose.

An ideology that pre-children I was and still am deeply passionate about but where have I left out me. As parents we must be and feel the need to be self-less but maybe just being a little selfish for a little creative, reflective peace and quiet we will be better parents, more imaginative parents, more creative parents and not sucked into a soulless busy world without nature in our gardens.sarahsidders.co.uk

Monday, 7 January 2013

Christmas is over, the house is all bare
Minimalism returns and out with the glare
A coming of age, once felt sad to see it go
Yet now as a Mum, relief, put away the tinsel and fake snow!

Looking
forward to spring for fresh inspiration: green gardens, flowers
emerging, watching nature in its rush for new life and collecting and
observing for new ideas. With January here children are returning to
school, new collections are being designed and new colours of organic
fairtrade fabric have arrived.

The fondness for the bird designs
is growing - with the oyster catcher skirt, for ladies and children
being ever popular. The 2013 design will be with an orange spot lining.

Sunday, 9 December 2012

We will be at Blandford forum, Dorset Yuletide Market on wednesday 12th December 6-9pm.A
great busy evening that brings Blandford town centre alive into a
vibrant Christmas market. With a lantern parade, carol singing,
fireworks and 3-4 different markets lining the streets.Sunday 16th Descember Shaftesbury Christmas Market 10-5pmLast orders for Christmas from the online store will be dispatched on Thursday 20th December.Last orders taken to be made by commission for dispatch by Thursday 20th will be taken on Monday 17th December.Many thanksSarahwww.sarahsidders.co.uk/ourshop